Monday, November 10, 2008

Transparency?

One of the more common complaints I hear from those who watch Raytown Board of Aldermen meetings on television is that the meetings are difficult to follow. With very little public discussion on many of the items, be they resolutions or ordinances, the headings that are publicly read leave much to be desired to those watching from home.
Easily 80% of what the Board votes on in meetings are housekeeping business items. Since the items are public business, the Board must follow statutory requirements in its decision making process. In other words, the public’s business must be conducted in public.
Still, the public has a right to know how its tax dollars are spent. At the last meeting of the Board, I addressed that need.
Part of the problem is the stilted language used in the headings of resolutions and ordinances read before each vote. For instance, last Tuesday night, three resolutions were read awarding contracts to three different firms. Two of the resolutions were worded exactly the same except for the name of the contractor. Both contained the required (and ambiguous) language “in excess of $10,000, but within the budgeted amounts for the fiscal year 2008 – 2009”. Neither explained exactly what the contracts were for or how much “in excess of $10,000” was to be spent.
I suggested that wording be included in the heading telling how much money is anticipated to be spent on each contract so those at home could understand exactly what was going on.
This brought an angry retort from Mayor Bower who made quite a show of how the information is in the Board’s legislative packets. He borrowed a word from the recent presidential campaign – transparency – and reminded everyone that all documents considered by the Board are available at City Hall for review. .
All of which is true. But waiving around an agenda packet and telling everyone that they can come up to city hall, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 to 5:00 to find out more detailed information is not my idea of “transparency”.
I spoke with City Administrator, Mahesh Sharma, after the meeting about the problem. . He told me he would look into expanding the language on agenda items to include more detail.
Chalk One Up for the Small Businessman
City ordinances require day care operators to obtain state inspections in order to receive a municipal business operators license. Sounds good. But if you are a day care with four or less children under your care, the state will not inspect your business. So by trying to comply with the city ordinance by applying for a license, the small business owner is exposed to prosecution because the state does not inspect such small operations.
This came to light when Ward 4 Alderman Pat Ertz made an impassioned plea on behalf of a small day care operator who has run afoul of the city’s ordinances. I made a motion (seconded by Alderman Charlotte Melson) directing city staff to study the problem and come back with suggested solutions for consideration.
The Mayor questioned whether or not staff had time to work on the problem. He suggested that other items would have to be set aside to comply with the motion. Ward 3 Alderman Christine White agreed with the Mayor – going so far as to suggest items that should be taken off of the city staff’s plate. Not surprisingly, they included items she has been less than supportive of, like curbside recycling, public smoking legislation and fireworks ban legislation.
Alderman Jim Aziere made a pretty good speech about the need for Raytown to become more business friendly.
The Board actually spent more time arguing about whether or not city staff should be burdened with the problem, than addressing the problem! At the end of the lengthy discussion, the Board came down on the side of the small day care operator by voting nine to one in support of the motion to re-address day care licensing.

Pat made the comment that people should drive the streets to see the condition. Walking would provide a better view. A walker might even trip on broken pavement on Willow. I fell into an open storm sewer in 2000 which reminded me of Mexico. At least there is some improvement in that issue, but the streets still meet Mexican standards or worse!

I asked the board why they write ordinances because they or not enforced or have selective inforcement? There is an ordinance that the CA LIVE IN Raytown but it is OK to exempt one person. It was stated that Mashesh has children in school. Wouldn't it be reasonable to allow him until the beginning of the school year to move? Anyone else who wanted the job would rent a motel room and go home on weekends.But he is allowed 3 years to move. Why?

As I have previously stated to the board a good ordinance must be BOTH reasonable and enforceable. The child care ordinance requiring state inspection for 4 or fewer children is UNREASONABLE. The board sure wastes time writing unreasonable and unenforceable ordinances and then spending time deciding to investigate them. One of these days someone will sue the city!

Anon 7:30PM, I can't agree that the Mayor and Greg both show the mentality of the BOA. The BOA as a whole shows the mentality of the BOA. Each person should be taken individually.

I lived in a village of 125 homes. The mentality was, "It can't be changed because it has always been done that way." Or "that building has been there 75 years and has bever caught fire; therefore, it will NEVER catch fire." I couldn't accept that. In one case our fire board decided to make change and people were happy about it. In another case I called a higher authority to have the never will catch fire idea overrulled twice.

In my opinion, the Fascist Fief of Raytown (describes the type of government) is run much like a neighborhood association not a city government. Maybe I am wrong but I wasn't aware that I bought a house in a neighborhood associatinon (Raytown) where they tell you that you can't park on the yard and similiar idiotic HOA rules.

The trouble with the board is that there are few indpendent thinkers. It is go with the flow and if someone has an independent though (as does Greg or Jim) they are quickly knocked down.

I don't always agree with Greg and Jim but they both have good ideas. Jim wants to present a smokeing ban and is not allowed to do so. I don't support a ban per se, but it is his right to bring the Bill forward. I fault the board for not allowing him to do so. Greg wants to start curbside recycling which I support, but he is not allowed to get to the first step.

We need a board who can work well together even if they disagree. I am another writer have stated that some board members need to be replaced at the next election.

The main problem in Raytown is few people bother to vote in local elections. At the school election, there was NO wait. At the Nov 5 election there was a really LONG line! I had to wait almost 5 minutes! Things would be different if the people of Raytown GET OUT AND VOTE! Anyone who doesn't vote is a complacant idiot.

When you see the long lines at polling places that to me means that people care about who's running their government. Most people in Raytown have given up on their city government and don't care enough to even go vote anymore. This is reflected in the small numbers who turn out to vote. When a councilman can get elected with 200 or 300 votes total out of probably 3500 to 4000 register voters per ward, it just says that NOBODY CARES ABOUT RAYTOWN ANYMORE. The past two city mayors and this one included have done everything they could to destroy the great things that Raytown once had. A lot of our citizens are just trying to get their house sold any move somewhere that they can be proud of.

I have been saying this for years, every penny spent by governments,city, state, county and federal is your money!The people have a right to know where every penny is being spent.Being an elected official doesn't give them a blank check to spendour money anyway they choose. Likewise, on big tax giveaways the people should be told about everydetail, where and why it is being done.I'm not saying we need to vote on everything. I'm saying anexplanation isn't asking too much.Elected officials are no different than the rest of us, although it seemswhen elected, all of a sudden they think they get smarter than the rest of us.Most become legends in their own minds. They won't listen to anyoneand for that matter each other, unless they happen to be in the same click.Elected officials are supposed to be representatives of the people, all the people. That hasn't been the case here for a long time. You can call me negative if you want but, I'm concerned for Raytown.Too much has been given away. There is too much secrecy about whereand how taxpayer money is being used and deals that have been made.

I'm sure if the last two big deals made by our elected officials were spelled out as to what the real cost to taxpayers would be, the outcome would have been a little different.

Sorry, I got the date wrong. The poll workers said there was a long line in the AM. I voted a little after 3:45PM. Normally I would go later but I thought I better get there before day workers got off.

Can't run for the board because I am moving and I doubt I will be here more than a few months past the next election. (If I am here that long.)

I am sure that Mr. Sharma is a very nice person but I do not understand why we have changed the rules for one person. The city statues say that the city Administrater must move into the city limits within a year. We held to that with all of the other CA's we have hired.

I understand he has children but so did the others we hired. He new when he came to Raytown that was a requirement of any CA job but it was not a requirement for a Public Works Dept. head for which he was hired although it should have been. Just because he is now the CA the requirements should stay the same. When Curt Winson left and also Dan Estes went to Liberty it was a requirement for them to live in that city as well. They had trouble selling their homes but it was and still is in their city charter that they must live in the city limits.

Why is it that Raytown thinks we don't deserve to have our statues up held like all othwer cities do? Mr. Sharma new what the rules were before he decided to take the job. I understand that he gets along well with the BOA and The employees but the rules are the rules for everyone else, why not for him kids or no kids???

Some of us got there on election day at 6am and had to wait to cast their vote for at least 3 hours. Another reason that people normally do not vote because they cannot even run a polling place efficently!

6:26PM, You can't expect efficency from the government. All they know is how to waste money.**************I would rate Mr. Sharma as an 13 on a scale of 10. I think the city has a top notch person. He is much better than those in the CA job over the 8 years I have been here. I agree that the ordinance should not be changed to suit one person. I feel that it would be reasonable to allow him until the start of the school year to move. Actually this is a good time to buy a house. He could meet the requirements by staying in a Raytown motel during the week and going home on weekends. Think of the savings on gasoline!

I am buying a bouse assuming the inspections are satisfactory, and will take about a year to move. After I move I will place my old house on the market. I would think Mr Sharma could do that, but it is not the normal way to move.

The ordinance was changed for Mr. Sharma and for a pig. It was discrimination not to change the ordinance for my fence. I think I am at least as good as a pig.

The first occurred at Fox’s Drug Store, a familiar landmark at 63rd Street and Raytown Road, just after 9 a.m. A white male entered the store and handed a pharmacy technician a note demanding drugs and threatening that he had a gun. After obtaining the drugs, the man ran from the store.

Police described the suspect as being between 20 and 25 years old, weighing perhaps 200 pounds and standing 6 feet tall, wearing a gray sweatshirt and a blue stocking cap.

A second robbery occurred shortly after 9 p.m. at the Valero convenience store near 53rd Street and Raytown Road. According to police, a black male wearing a ski mask and dark clothing approached a store clerk who had been standing outside the store’s front door.

I heard from a local business that Renick's Flowers on Raytown rd was held up Monday by 2 black men. They put the 2 women in the flower cooler and started to rob the place. One of the women had a cell phone and called police. The cops got there before the crooks left and the cops got them. It sounds like the merchants are going to have to start "packing" to protect their business.

If it isn't the city of Raytown trying to "break" the small business, now it is the crooks who are helping them?

The above posts prove our Raytown Police force is TOP NOTCHED! If they can't keep the crooks out, they catch them!

Maybe we need a walled city to keep everyone safe. The criminals are everywhere, not just KCMO and KCK. They spread out. I used to live in a rural area and it happened there too. Crime is not unique to particular areas. It is everywhere. You can't consider any place to be safe.

ANYONE NEED A GOOD RAYTOWN PLUMBER?I called Rice Plumbing for a hot water faucet that wouldn't turn off. They were unable to repair it but suggested that I cap it to stop the leak. I asked if they had a cap. He installed the cap. When I asked what I owed him, there was no charge. I highly recommend Rice Plumbing to anyone. They are in the local Raytown phone book.

its not only during the bad economic times....really ....buy a scanner and listin...you would be suprised how much the police in raytown and kc do.....its down rite scary...and its like that all the time...

I understand that we are seeing the last issue of the Raytown Post today. This maybe a good thing since they could never find anything good to say about Raytown. Jut for thought ---How are we going to find out about the crime in the city? It may not have been accurate what the Post printed but but at least we got some idea of the crime in the area.

If we're now doing business endorsements I recommend John Oliver (John the Plumber). He's honest, reasonable and been here forever. I had a totally different experience than Mr. Whiteman with his Rice choice.Where the Raytown Post's future is concerned, who cares? last week Big Bob was saying he was glad the election was over and didn't care who won. This week Phillips floods the presidential winner with his right-wing uninformed claptrap. Or is that just plain crap?

Raytown needs a local paper to keep its people informed. It gives a sense of community.

All newspapers are feeling the crunch. I see the Star let Hearn Christopher go (so sad) and also probably the most mean-spirited cartoonist in the history of newspaper writing (I'm glad!). They let another columnist go but I cannot remember her name -- though I am sure it was a she.

What I cannot understand is why they allow that waste of space, Louis Diuguid stay on as a columnist.

I'll put in my two cents worth on the Post.I would not like to see the Post go away. Raytown needs a local paper.To be honest, over the years I have enjoyed bantering with Bob Phillips.He nor I ever meant any harm and I looked forward to our disagreements.I also think the Post has improved in the last year and a half or so.I would have liked to see a little more honesty in the reports from and aboutthe City Hall meetings.Some of the bad decisions and statements should have been brought to light so maybe, just maybe they would not be repeated. Instead the Post focused on Greg Walters as their target week after week.Trust me, Greg isn't the only elected official that has deserved to be treatedlike the Post treats him.In the past the Post backed the city and the friends of the city that were running for an elected position, almost to the point of embarrassment. It was one sided beyond belief.I was, and am hoping the Post will stick around, I'd to see how theyhandle the April election. I'd like to see if in fact they have changed their ways.People have asked me why I haven't been writing to the Post? All I can sayis I haven't had much to say in the last year or so. The city has left me alone and there hasn't been any developers trying to steal our property. I can also write on this Blog and get instant answers. But I will write to the Post again. I trulyhope they don't shut down. We do need them.

I sure hope the Post stays. Bens says it will, but when I worked for AT&T, the employees were the last to know about an office closing. It was always kept secret until the Union required notification time. Until the official anouncement, we had to plan based on rumor and speculation.

I have wondered why the Post is getting thinner?

Anyone who wants a crime report, please see the Raytown/Indpendence section of the Wednesday KC Red Star. Very little is listed in Raytown leading me to beleived little is happening or a lot is edited out. Of course it would take pages to report every request for service.

The previous (I won't use the word last) Post had more information than was stated at the BOA meeting about Mr. Sharma. Mayor Bower stated that a person can't move with the housing market down and Mr. Sharma had children in school. I don't understand why someone can't move in a bad market. Now is a good time to buy. I changed schools many times when I was a kid. The Post states something that wasn't make public: Mahesh has a duaghter in HS and needs 3 years for her to graduate. The Post is bringing out info that was not made public and has good research.

I still fail to understand why someone in HS cannot change schools at the end of the year.

Andy,I know what you mean about moving but I've had a change of thought about making department heads move to Raytown.You are right it is easy to buy a house these days but, it isn't easy to sell. Beside the fact that there isn't that much to chose from here.Remember, I always looked in Raytown when we are thinking about moving.Maybe the city should just do away with the rule about department headshaving to live here other than what federal and state laws mandate.I am in total agreement that a rule is a rule but maybe this one is showing it's age.I think we should judge the man in the position by what he does for the city and people and not where he lives.I'm going to say something I doubt any or you would have thought would comefrom me. I met Mr. Mahesh Sharma along with Mr. Jeremy Willmoth the other day,and I was impressed. Unlike in the past these two gentlemen are looking outfor us taxpayers and the way our money is spent.I believe they are honest and truthful too. What a refreshing change fromRaytown's past. I'm willing to give them a chance.

These men need to get involved in the community. They usually are hiding out in their offices at city hall. I'm willing to bet that you never see them after 5 o'clock in Raytown unless they are attending a meeting at city hall. NOT GOOD FOR RAYTOWN!!!

True, it is hard to sell a house now. Who says that a person has to sell a house to buy a house. I know it is traditional but I bought my house here and sold my house after I moved here.

When I buy my next house, I will buy the house first, and take about a year to move and then place my house on the market. Quite frankly, my house sells better vacant, after a touch up and a professional cleaning.

Yes, the homes in Raytown are limited but I know of nice homes for sale at really low prices. Mahesh could move into one and rent his old house pending sale.

I read in the Post there was an issue of his daughter finishing HS where they are. I don't quite buy that unless RHS has different graduation requirements and if so, that is good reason for an exception.

I feel that the CA as well as all department heads should live in Raytown. My reason is so they know what it is like to live here and pay 75% of their property tax to the Disfunctional School District. Mainly they can see the living conditions if they live here such as failed roads, potholes, code violations, nuisances, etc. Then me might get more attention to things that need doing.

I have had several conversations with Mahesh and observed him at meetings. I feel he is well qualified for the job. I haven't has much contact with Jeremy, but I felt his presentation of the budget so the average person could understand it was top notch.

I was thinking about why crime is moving to Raytown. Just look at how rundown this city is. I am referring to streets and blighted areas. The criminals see that Raytown can't maintain their streets and make the assumption that they will be dealing with Barney Fife as law enforcement. They just don't know what a good Police Force we have and are surprised!

Possibly the child would like to stay with her core group of friends where she is comfortable and doing well in school instead of getting uprooted and distracted with having to make new friends, getting used to different schools, policies, programs, and the like. How about a little common sense here folks. Let the guy live where he is at now for petes sake. The school decision is a family decision anyway. I can understand that one.

Anon 9:28 AM, Good point! I didn't think of friends because I was a loner in school (and still am). I can understand friends are important. My mother was in a military family which had frequent moves and changing of schools. I was in 4 different elementary schools. Two of the moves were in the middle of the year and it didn't bother me. But of course I am unusual.

Considering the school issue, 3 years is reasonable, but what about her friends who move away?

I think Mayor Bower could have given a better explanation to the public so it didn't have to come from the Post.

This is the very reason that we need a charter that requires the Dept. Heads to live in Raytown. It is never going to happen without one. If they had to live here they would should do their jobs better because they have to live here and would be held more accountable.

The 11-17-08 Kansas City Star is reporting that the Raytown Post is to be sold to an undisclosed buyer. My prediction is that is it won't last 6 months. How does a newspaper survive without advertising?

All I am saying is, we have made two City Administrators live in Raytown. One did his best to divide Raytown and was less than honest.The other was a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. He did nothing for this town.Both used Raytown for a steppingstone to move on. Mahesh Sharma is an honest, truthful and honorable man. I believe he takeshis job working for Raytown very seriously.I have been accused of of being a negative thinker, a whiner, a complainerand much more and I feel Mahesh is the right person for the job at this time.You don't have to live here to want this little town to be vibrant and productiveagain. Hell, we've got elected officials that haven't done anything to make the townany better and they live here. In fact finding someone that would even want to try and straighten outwhat they've messed up is a plus in it's self.

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